"I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself."

--Mikhail Baryshnikov

THE THING ABOUT SWING DANCING...

Yes, "The thing about swing dancing..." is so many things! It's fun. It's challenging. It's good exercise. It's a great way to meet a bunch of nice people. And, it's contagious! Each on of has that moment of epiphany, when we saw something that made us all just HAVE to do it!

My way into swing dancing was rather round about. I was fully immersed in tap dancing, and had been since I was six years old. I can safely say (and so can my mom and dad), that I was obsessed with tap dancing! In January 1996, I took a vacation to England, and notified one of my tap dance contacts there that I would be coming over and suggested it would be fun to meet. His name is Terry Monaghan, and he's one of the founders of London's premier Lindy Hop group "The Jiving Lindy Hoppers."

Terry suggested that we meet after the Monday night dance at the 100 Club on Oxford Street. I was then on a "theatre tour" with several friends, including legendary dancers Bob Scheerer (of the Jivin' Jacks and Jills, circa 1940s) and Miriam Nelson (choreographer and Broadway dancer). We all traipsed over to the 100 Club and watched the dancing. This, at the time, was one of THE hot spots for lindy hop. I think we even had a few dances, having had met the proprietor, Simon Selmon, the previous Swing Camp Catalina. I have to say, at that point, I thought swing dancing looked like fun, I had always enjoyed it, but I wasn't hooked yet.

Terry joined us a bit later, and we went around the corner to a fancy hotel and had drinks in the bar there. We had a very nice visit. As a dance historian, he was thrilled to meet in person Bob and Miriam, and me, the author of "TAP!". When we were saying our good-byes, he handed me a video tape and said it was of his group, "The Jiving Lindy Hoppers."

After returning home, I remembered the video tape, and put it in the machine. My life changed forever! When I saw this high powered performance troupe, I was not only mesmerized, I wanted to do this more than anything. The dance they were doing seemed to capture my inner high energy and spirit like nothing else.

I would love to hear what your swing dance epiphany was! If you would like to share it in our weekly newsletter, write it in an email to me. It would really be fun to hear how each of us got involved. Send yours to: info@swingshiftontap.com

STARTS TONIGHT! JULY 26th
AUGUST FEATURED CLASS -- BALBOA!

Always a perennial favorite, Balboa is that wonderful swing dance that enables you to dance to really, REALLY (did we say "really"?) fast music... and not get too winded. We'll be covering the basics and getting into some good variations for your dancing pleasure. So don't forget to sign up for this series: July 26, August 2, 9, 16th.

STARTS THIS SUNDAY - JULY 31st
LINDY 1, 2, & 3

You have all been the best "advertisement" for Lindy Hop. By you getting out there and dancing and talking about it with your friends and family, you are the ones getting more people into our fun classes. We thank you! Of all the things we do to spread the word of Lindy By The Sea, it is you and your positive energy that brings the new students. And what a pay off! We all have more people to "play" with on the dance floor. Thanks for spreading the word.

The first group has been reserved for our August series. If you would like to put together a group for a future series, remember this is your chance to get exactly the training you want with the hands-on attention that only a small group class can allow. Here's how it works:

You pick the subject.
You put together your group.
You book us. (2-week or 4-week increments, Tuesdays from 9-10pm)
First come, first served.
Pricing is based on a sliding scale. (See link below)

DANCE CLASSES! WHAT A BARGAIN!

We have a lot of wonderful options at Lindy By The Sea. Such as any second class taken on the same day is 1/2 price, and our "Golden Ticket" allows you to take ALL of our classes in a given series for only $100 or $90!! if you pre-register! (and $40 if it can go towards the "Custom Class" for those Advanced/Intermediate students). What a deal. If you took four classes in the series, it would break down to $5.62 a class -- where else are ya gonna find that kind of bargain.

USE YOUR QUICK STOP CARD TO PRE-REGISTER AND SAVE 10% ON CLASSES

(click on image to find out how it works and how you can get one!)

PRE-REGISTRATION DISCOUNT!

We have pre-registration discounts of 10% on the website. So you can register with your Quick Stop Card, or right on our site "easy peasy lemon squeezy". Go HERE. Remember, pre-register for class(es), you'll get a 10% discount off the normal prices. You can pre-register over the phone (310 606 5606), by check, or at on-line We hope that you'll enjoy taking advantage of this new offer...

AUGUST 3RD -- 50'S SOCK HOP!

You may have noticed some unusual scheduling for the next few weeks. I decided to have dj music on July 27th to help the pocketbooks of all those going to Camp Hollywood ($8 vs $12 for live music nites). We figure you've got four nights of dancing to live music, so we can show off a little with our wonderful Robert "The Professor" Vangor and yours truly spinning the tunes.

Then we put in a band for the first Wednesday of August -- The Hollywood Combo; so you'll be your quota of Rhythm Club live music. And let's make it a "SOCK HOP!" nite! That's right, on Wednesday, August 3rd, bring out those Poodle Skirts, don the jeans and the white t-shirts, slick back that hair! It's 50's nite at the Rhythm Club!

Make sure to note that we've got a three of your special requests coming back in August:

Chester Whitmore's Opus One Big Band
The Lucky Stars
and
Hal's Angels

JULY 27

WELCOME CAMP HOLLYWOOD!

AUGUST 3

AUGUST 10

AUGUST 17

AUGUST 31

Dance Lesson and DJ on the first
Wednesday of each month from 7:30-8:00
8:00-11:30pm -- Dance! Dance! Dance!
(check our calendar)

We already have plans to dance our tootsies off right in Manhattan Beach on Sunday, August 7th. Why not join us and we'll have a big showing of swing dancing in the South Bay. Wear your Lindy By The Sea - Rhythm Club t-shirts and bowling shirts!.

USO FUNDRAISER -- LBS DANCERS ENTERTAIN

L-R Molly, Ricardo, Sarah, Jamie, Jennifer, & Jeremy

A week ago Sunday, six of our Lindy By The Sea gang dressed up to the nines in retro, drove out to the Ronald Regan Library, and danced up a storm for the guests at a USO Fundraiser. We thought you'd enjoy seeing how great they looked!

Mora's Modern Swingtet at Rusty's Rhythm Club

JIVING LINDY HOPPERS - UK: The Jiving Lindy Hoppers considers itself to be only the latest in a long link of enthusiasts who have passed on this dance form to others since it first came to life. The Lindy Hop has been continuously recreated by successive generations of dancers since it first established itself a recognizably distinct dance form in 1928. Around 1983 four separate but parallel groups of new Lindy Hop aficionados emerged but in widely spread places:
in Los Angeles: Erin Stevens & Steve Mitchell and Jonathan Bixby & Sylvia Sykes; in New York: the group that became the New York Swing Dance Society in 1985; in Stockholm: the Swedish Swing Society, out of which the Rhythm Hot Shots emerged in 1985; in London: the Jiving Lindy Hoppers. Read more about this amazing troupe of Lindy Hoppers!

* Wondering
what the heck a "gate"is? This was a phrase popularized by 1940's comedian,
Jerry Colonna, who would holler it out every time he was introduced on the
Bob Hope radio program. It was a friendly salutation to a swing cat (dancer
or swing music enthusiast).

JOIN THE FUN!
BUT, WHAT THE HECK IS IT?

Many of you still don't know about our Swing Shift Rhythm Club. It's one of our best kept secrets. Now is the time to get the SSRC "above the radar."

THE SWING SHIFT RHYTHM CLUB (SSRC), founded in 2000 by Rusty Frank's swing dance students, The SSRC has two missions:

1. Having fun! (Fun)
2. Doing good deeds! (Philanthropy)

1. Having fun: Events where swing dancers can socialize and get to know each other outside of class (vintage clothes shopping, going to a dance-related movie, dancing in the park, eating at retro restaurants before a dance, etc.).

2. Doing good deeds: Events where we bring swing dancing to hospitals, senior homes, and community events for the purpose of good deeds, entertainment, and education in the Los Angeles area.

The SSRC is a volunteer club open to the public and the events are organized by its members. There are no dues. Members can attend as many or as few events as they wish.

"How do I join?"...
Right now, fill in your email address
and click the Yahoo log (that's it!):

Subscribe to SwingShiftRhythmClub

Then you will receive updates of activities (or you can organize one yourself!). Check the yahoogroup "Swing Shift Rhythm Club" calendar here for postings of upcoming events.